Born in upstate New York, Ms. Franky has taken Gotham’s bar scene by storm in her own inimitable style. As part of the team who opened iconic New York institutions The Dead Rabbit & Clover Club, she now heads up the iconic Marie Antoinette-inspired Brooklyn cocktail den Le Boudoir while continuing to educate, inspire and champion heritage brands like Cherry Heering.

From any of the 200 romantic years of Cherry Heering’s story, Ms. Franky chose 1925, when Paris was swinging. “The 1920’s in Paris are known as Les Annees Folles. Or living in the crazy years. So, I chose 1925 midway in between. I was trying to think of that kind of era where it was kind of after World War 1 … and we are talking about Paris, so this time with Paris, when a lot of expats went over there. So again, post World War 1 and just as Prohibition was starting in the US, we had a lot of bartenders and a lot of creative artists moving and kind of hanging out over there, going to cafes all day, going to night clubs at night. Somehow always being productive as well.”

“We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other.” Ernest Hemmingway

“Attending saloons, exchanging ideas, yeah, it just seems like a really care-free time although a lot of those artists were starving but somehow they managed drink and eat and just and produce great art.” “It was a period of maybe 10 years when it was just that kind of a fun, free for all, where they didn’t have to worry about too much. Also, around that time we had American women finally getting the right to vote. So there was just a celebration of forgetting about the bad things of the previous decade and just living this kind of hedonistic, free-spirited lifestyle. That’s why they are known as the crazy years!”

“I’m a singer as well. And I used to perform a lot and … so that all appeals to me, that kind of artists or musicians just being able to live in a time when they just didn’t really have many cares as the New York today, where there’s so many things to worry about.”

Ms. Franky is fluent in French and is a Bureau National Interprofessional du Cognac (BNIC) accredited educator and trainer. A keen traveller, she is inspired by international food, drink and cultural experiences which she brings to life in her own decadently stylish corner of the drinks industry – an industry that she sees as getting more complicated by the day.

“I’ve done a couple of talks on the role of the modern bartender, the way we’ve gone from physically making drinks to having to create cocktails, do interviews, write answers in full sentences, learn Excel and Photoshop etc. I spend so much time making drink photos look great, balancing books and learning everything I can just to be more aware, more responsible and up to date. There’s just so much more that goes into a modern bartender’s role.”

Ms. Franky makes a romantic ‘roaring twenties’ claim that if she had a magic wand she’d make sure that people’s talents weren’t being judged on the amounts of likes they get or the amount of followers they have on social media. A good claim but none-the-less a tough one to persuasively maintain in this day and age.

“It’s just things have changed so much and a lot of it is great. A lot of it is really wonderful. The whole immediate exchange of ideas and that kind of thing.” “It can be all about the likes and the followers. They may have 5000 friends on Facebook but there are certain people who are just really great at what they do and don’t have that because they don’t want to play that game and I think it’s unfair that they are penalised for not taking part.”

“I don’t know how we’d fix that. But it’s just kind of endemic in culture in general as you can see in politics as well.”

“I just think it’s a little bit unfortunate that we just don’t seem to have a lot time to do a lot of research. It’s just kind of looking at social media with one eye and saying, “Are they popular? Great, we’ll go after that one.”

Re-discovering heritage brands is a joy for many bartenders and Ms. Franky is no exception. “It seems like it’s always one of those bottles that was just always there and I didn’t know what it was or what to do with it. But I distinctly remember always seeing this Cherry Heering around. A few years ago they started a campaign with Coffee Heering and that kind of brought the whole Heering brand back in front view. It’s just kind of one of those iconic liqueurs that was always there on the back bar, or sometimes buried somewhere else but it was always kind of there, which I think says a lot.”

A responsible leader, a relationship builder and just straight up honest, Ms. Franky is one of those instantly connective people who’ll tell you like it is, serve it like it was meant to be served and always has room on her Facebook page for a new friend.

MS. FRANKY MARSHALL’S LES ANNÉES FOLLES

.75 oz Cherry Heering

.25 oz Dark Crème de Cacao (Such as Tempus Fugit Cacao à la Vanille)

1 oz VS Cognac (Such as Cognac Park Carte Blanche)

1 dash Angostura Bitters

Top with 1.5 oz of Dry Sparkling Wine (Such as Champagne)

Method: Stir first 4 ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled glass. Top with champagne and briefly stir to integrate

Binging on cooking shows, books and blogs, and bumping into Jeff Bell at PDT, all led to a life behind the stick for Christopher Lowder – now forging his path in Shanghai.

The middle child in a family of three boys, Chris Lowder has been in the bartending industry since 2003 when he started working as a dishwasher in ‘Woody’s Crab House,’ Baltimore, at the tender age of 15. “Dishwashing turned into cooking, and I cooked for the next four years,” he explained.

At 19 Chris arrived in Osaka, Tokyo, having received a year-long scholarship to study in full immersion.

“Growing up in Baltimore, we ate grilled cheese, tomato soup, spaghetti, fried chicken and, once per year, crabs. I spent my years in China from 19-22 just understanding the flavours of the world. We went out at least five days per week. It was awesome,” he said.

After a foray into what Chris describes as “real life,” while continuing to cook at home, he “really missed working in the kitchen, cooking on the line; the heat, the intensity, the passion, the teamwork.” So, Chris started binge-watching cooking shows, obsessively reading and highlighting cookbooks with color-coded post-it notes sticking out of the binding.

“I was following a few blogs written by chefs in New York, and would email them pictures of food that I had cooked, telling them that I would gladly sweep, mop, dish wash, if they would just give me a shot and teach me.”

From here, Chris stumbled upon one of these chef’s blogs, highlighting cocktails in New York. Having come across a whole new world; “Cocktails hadn’t happened in China yet, so craft beer was the closest that I had ever come to fine drinking,” he bought a cheap cocktail set and started mixing at home. “Martinis and Manhattans at first, but eventually I was driving across state lines to get things like Maraschino liqueur and Crème de Violette,” he added.

“Before you knew it I was muddling pineapples into a colander to make cocktails with fresh pineapple juice. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but the obsession was real,” Chris told us. “The first cocktail I ever had in my life using fresh juice was a Bees Knees from the PDT cocktail book, and it absolutely changed my life.”

During a trip to New York, Chris went to PDT. “Tending that night was Jeff Bell; he was amazing. I had never experienced hospitality like that before. Jeff showed me that there was a whole social side to bartending that I hadn’t considered before. When I left the bar that evening, I decided that I would spend my adult life trying to make people feel as good as I felt in that bar that night. I think that if I can do that, then that’s a pretty noble pursuit just by itself,” Chris continued.

Of Cheery Heering, Chris has fond memories “One day I was drinking in New York in Mother’s Ruin; it was the first day that I had ever had a drink from the Gentleman’s Companion, by Charles Baker. I was drinking with Greg Bowen and his girlfriend and he made me a drink with Cherry Heering, a ‘Remember the Maine’. We had the most amazing afternoon. I wound up making this drink over and over in my apartment after. As well as this, Giuseppe Gonzalez was bartending, and for me, that in itself is a great memory. It was such a treat; a great afternoon with great people”.

Chris explained that he chose the year 1930, as a homage to one of his bar heroes, Charles H. Baker Jr.

“When I moved to Seoul to open the Four Seasons Hotel, our flagship cocktail bar was called “Charles H.” after the late Charles H. Baker Jr. My first journey into solo menu creation, head bartending, and bar management was all framed around this bar that was dedicated to this man. It was a huge chapter in my life and career, and in making this cocktail we poured lots and lots of Cherry Heering,” he added.

For Chris, the most important element of the bartending industry is “Education. Just more, free, accessible education,” he stated.

“I know there are a lot of issues to rally around in progressive bartending and bar management, but the reality in a lot of the world is that thousands of people are just getting started in the industry and probably don’t have good access to accurate training materials in their native language.

“I travel to lots of cities to do bar training, and the teams there don’t know many of the basics. For me, the real mission is universal access to high quality, accurate, objectively respectable bar educational materials to train people on the fundamentals of bartending and service in their native language. Is that so hard?”

Kirsch au Café #2 Cocktail

20ml Cherry Heering

20ml Fresh Espresso (chilled)

30ml Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac

10ml Kirschwasser

10ml Demerara Syrup (1:1)

30ml Fresh Egg White

Method: Combine all ingredients into a cocktail tin. Shake without ice, shake with ice and fine strain into a tall cocktail glass. Top with a dash of Angostura bitters, made into ornate decoration with a cocktail pick.

Garnish: Serve with a side of dark chocolate and cocktail cherries that have been re-brandied into a 4:1 Cherry Heering: Kirsch blend.

Much in demand in the art of mixology throughout the world, Philip nevertheless finds time to give back to the community in full.

Text: One of the cocktail community’s most visible presenters and educators, and an in-demand on-trade & beverage consultant to drinks companies around the world, Philip Duff hails originally from Ireland.

From learning his craft in the vibrant city of Dublin, Philip moved to tend and manage bars in London, New York, Grand Cayman, Rotterdam and The Hague before setting up his Liquid Solutions Bar & Beverage Consulting company in 1999.

Talented, presentable with quick wit and encyclopaedic knowledge of his craft, Philip was soon in demand to teach seminars – which he does in over forty countries a year.

His early career highlights include creating the Total Cocktails on-trade bar training program that won an award from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Canada in 2003. From there he went on to organise the world’s first Molecular Mixology seminar in Paris, 2005. And then – ever ready to expand further – he opened Europe’s largest bartending school and in 2007 in Amsterdam he organised an award-winning cocktail-themed visitor experience. From there, Philip helped to create a brand that won Best New Product at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in New Orleans, 2009.

Also in New Orleans, in 2012 he took the Spirited Awards Golden Spirit award for World’s Best Presenter and became the first ever Director of Education for Tales of the Cocktail in 2013. Always reaching out to express more on his chosen metier, in 2014 Philip recreated the oldest known recipe for gin from a 1495 Dutch-language book in the British Library – that has to be a world first!

Asked why he choose to honour the year 1971 for Heering’s starred anniversary, Philip told me,

“1971 was the year the 8th James Bond movie, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ was released – it was the first, and to date, the only Bond movie or Ian Fleming book featuring Holland, where Bond travels to investigate diamond smuggling.” It ia also a place Philip knows well.

In 2008, Philip opened the Netherlands’ first speakeasy cocktail bar, door 74 in Amsterdam. Drinks there are listed in three different sections: super boozy, medium, and light but ‘you name it – they can make it’ is the name of the game.

In true speakeasy fashion, the bar’s entrance is hidden away. The popular venue quickly hit the scene with a bang as the place to go and it was soon nominated twice as one of the world’s four best cocktail bars (2008 & 2009). It won Best Cocktail Bar and Best Bartender awards in both 2009 and 2011 at the Venuez Dutch Bar Awards. And, after the venue was featured in “World’s 50 Best Bars” it was credited with kicking off an entire wave of classic-cocktail focused bars in the Netherlands.

And, in pride of place, Cherry Heering products hold their own there very well, he tells me.

“I’ve loved the Genever-Cherry Heering flavour combination of grain, spice and cherry since the late 1990s, when I moved to Holland myself and began experimenting with genever and I grew to love it.”

And there’s more to it, he reveals. “Well, ‘Ice’ is slang talk for ‘diamonds’, and Bond as a spy goes undercover as a diamond smuggler, plus Ice Spy sounds like I Spy.

“When a Cherry Heering cocktail (also, coincidentally, made with genever) won a contest I was judging in Copenhagen in 2009 which was to find the official cocktail of Copenhagen, each competitor was generously presented with a 1920s bottle of Cherry Heering, from the family’s private collection. I’d never seen such old bottles before and was impressed.”

Is there a current trend in the industry that is exciting and progressive?

“Definitely the use of historic and accurate ingredients, and a return to simple, straightforward flavours and cocktails, but executed perfectly every time, and without fuss.” He says decisively.

An accomplished and engaging speaker, Philip has many devotees and his sought-after seminars on bartending, cocktails and spirits know-how have been attended by more than 90,200+ bartenders in over 124 cities around the globe since 1999.

Philip was inaugurated into the Gin Guild in 2015. He launched his own brand, Old Duff Genever in New York in 2017 that almost immediately acquired cult status, being listed within a week in every New York bar that was a member of the World’s 50 Best Bars.

His consulting firm Liquid Solutions helps drinks brands connect with the world of bars – it is centred around new product development mainly and encompasses many aspects ranging from copywriting to creating on-trade engagement and education content as well as trade engagement programs.

As well as teaching seminars, founding an award-winning craft-cocktail bar, owning Old Duff Genever, he serves as director of education for Tales of the Cocktail and appears regularly on television and in many international publications as diverse as Esquire, Reuters, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Australian Bartender, Imbibe and Mixology.

And it’s not all take and no give with him. When asked ‘If you had one chance to make our industry better what would you do (and are you doing this already)? He was firm in his reply. “In my own small way I am; my brand Old Duff Genever donates $1 per bottle to charities that cater for bartenders in need, and I’d like to see more brands recognizing that they have a responsibility towards the people who sell their products.”

I couldn’t agree more.

————-end———-

ICE SPY COCKTAIL

Ingredients

(1.5oz/45ml)/1.5 parts Old Duff Genever

(0.5oz/15ml/0.5 parts Cherry Heering

(0.25oz/7.5ml/0.25 parts Cynar 70

2 dashes The Bitter Truth Boker’s Bitters

Method

Stir with ice, strain into an empty pre-chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with lemon zest, expressed over the surface of the glass.

The year 2014 was a landmark for Nikos Bakoulis and Vasilis Kyritsis, the best-known bartenders in Greece: it’s the year they opened, with three non-bartending partners, their much-awarded bar, The Clumsies. Kyritsis cites it as one of the three greatest experiences of his life, alongside winning World Class Greece in 2012 (Bakoulis won in 2011) and working a stage at Tony Conigliaro’s Drink Factory.

In fact, after working together for five years and co-owning a business for more than three, the pair consider each other brothers. They finish each other’s sentences, complete one another’s thoughts, and might, for all the world, be related – an affinity that comes in handy in the workplace. “We try to work as one person,” Bakoulis explains. “There are small gaps, for example Vasilis gives more focus to upstairs and the lab and how the lab runs, while my focus is more on the bar needs and the daily routine. But for the drinks we work all together as a team.”

So insanely inventive are those drinks that The Clumsies’ menus – themed around topics including Einstein’s theory of relativity – can be news events in and of themselves, while the bar holds the highest position in the 2017 World’s 50 Best Bars list outside of London and New York. Their 2017-18 menu, Genesis, centres on Greek words that have been adopted into English. With drinks titled Nostalgia, Eureka, Chaos, Echo, Phosphorus, Siren, Nectar and the like, it neatly solves one nagging problem for Greek bartenders: creating drink names that both their home customers and their international audience can understand.

A new menu is in the works for spring, but the pair’s Heering cocktail, Aristocracy, follows the Greek-English pattern: the name literally means “rule of the best”. It’s a hybrid of the gin and tonic and the cherry gin sling, with extra complexity from their house-made Mediterranean elixir. (Bakoulis and Kyritsis got to know each other while working at The Gin Joint, and it’s still a spirit that’s close to both their hearts.)

While the part of The Clumsies which draws media attention is The Room, an intimate, reservations-recommended upstairs space that houses no more than 13 guests, the pair and their partners are more than comfortable in the world of high-volume bars. The Clumsies’ downstairs space holds 350 people and the drinks list, which focuses on vintage cocktails and premium spirits, is entirely different from the cutting-edge and often culinary concoctions served upstairs.

In recent years, Athens has come to punch far above its weight in cocktail terms. For a city of under 700,000 people in a country with fewer inhabitants than Moscow, the Athenian bartending scene is spectacular. Yet, the pair agree, it’s a very new phenomenon. “Our first bar was only opened in 1957, so if you compare it with London or New York, where some bars have 200 years history, we only have a short time,” says Bakoulis. (The bar, Au Revoir, is still run by the founder’s son and has never been redesigned, Kyritsis adds.)

Before that, the only businesses that sold alcohol were kafeneio, Greece’s answer to the village pub or an old-fashioned Italian bar. “You could have a coffee and some meze (a little tapas), with some ouzo or tsipouro: but no spirits like whisky or gin,” Bakoulis says.

Both Bakoulis and Kyritsis have worked in bars since they were 18. They agree that Greece’s economic crisis helped drive the growth of the hospitality industry, not least because so many people drifted into the trade due to pressure on more conventional jobs. But they also feel, although the only drinks brand to have travelled outside Greece is Metaxa, that the country has good bartending fundamentals. “We have a lot of fresh spices, herbs and fruits – and when Greeks start to do something they give their best,” says Kyritsis. “That’s why Greek bartenders have grown their skills very, very fast, and having so many ingredients with good quality gives us the chance to work more creatively.”

Yet if they could change one thing about the bartending industry, it would be addressing the egotism that can cloud what is still, at heart, a hospitality role. “We would try to explain to bartenders how important it is to be humble, and not focus only on the drinks but focus more on the customers, the people, the staff: try to lower down your egos and be more humble,” Bakoulis says.

“Everything starts from there,” Kyritsis adds. “If you work a lot with yourself, you can create better drinks: you open your eyes, you open your mind, so more inspiration comes to you.”

HEERING BECOMES LEGENDARY
PETER F. HEERING® LAUNCHES THE HEERING LEGENDS
FEATURING THE BEST BAR EXPERTS IN THE WORLD

March — 2016 (New York, New York) — leg·end, noun, plural noun: legends – an extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field. ….and Peter F. Heering and Cherry Heering fits this billing as the most famous Cherry Liqueur also known for its notoriously delicious cocktails and none more famous than the Singapore Sling. Peter F. Heering, purveyor to the Royal Danish Court, has been produced since 1818 and has most recently been on location around the globe shooting an exclusive series of unique and inspiring content for what will be aptly entitled The Heering Legends, in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Singapore Sling. The iconic HEERING® brand inspired The Heering Legends, which was shot in such cocktail hot spots from New York to New Orleans, London to Sydney and Berlin to Singapore.

The Heering Legends handpicked industry stalwart and bar legend Simon Difford in the U.K. to roll out all of The Heering Legends video content, which will be featured on Diffords guide.
80 plus videos of The Heering Legends ready to be shaken, stirred and viewed, see for yourself what established and up and coming bar talent from around the globe has been deemed a Heering Legend…….you never know, they could be from your favorite bar or the next bar you walk into?
The Heering Legends on Diffords Guidehttp://www.diffordsguide.com/producers/195/peter-f-heering-as/hall-of-fame
The Heering Legends videos aim to spread the legendary status of the incredibly iconic Singapore Sling, which simply is not a Singapore Sling without CHERRY HEERING®. The Heering Legends presence will be enjoyed all over the world in partnership with other beverage lifestyle networks including Drinks Network in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore and Bar Business Magazine in the U.S.
“The Heering Legends is a culmination of a 100 years of cocktail tradition and history being brought to the forefront of cocktail bars around the world by the best of the best bartenders who truly love Cherry Heering”, said Adéle Robberstad, CEO Peter F. Heering “This talented group of bar legends perspective on the Singapore Sling, is quite simply highlights the creative nature and beauty that highlights why Cherry Heering is the most fashionable and undeniable cherry liqueur in the world.”
CHERRY HEERING® is an intricate and indispensable component of iconic cocktails such as The Singapore Sling and Blood & Sand, which is exactly how CHERRY HEERING® likes to be seen; as an accessory that adds lavishness, extravagance and civilization to the mix.
CHERRY HEERING® continues to evolve and recognize that even the timeless classics need a refreshing remake now and then, thus CHERRY HEERING® has challenged the best of the best behind the world’s bars to create their own modern classic interpretation of The Singapore Sling and also possibly writing their name in the history of cocktails.
The HEERING Sling Award® is an annual global bartender competition that recognizes the most important contribution to the legendary Singapore Sling, CHERRY HEERING® liqueur and taps the best bar talent in the world to re-write cocktail history by creating their version of the Sling, an all-time bartender favorite, using CHERRY HEERING® liqueur. The Sling is one of the oldest beverages in general and was created in 1915 featuring CHERRY HEERING® liqueur as the main ingredient. Bartender Niang Tong Boon created the most famous and now classic recipe of the Singapore Sling at the Raffle’s Hotel in Singapore.
HEERING® COFFEE liqueur is made from a recipe using only natural ingredients and with no additives or artificial coloring. The base is a smooth blend of Caribbean rum, coffee and cacao. COFFEE HEERING® and CHERRY HEERING® are both OU certified.
COFFEE HEERING® was announced as the Liqueur of the Year at the Annual Bar Biz Spirits Competition by the Editorial and Publishing Staff of the Bar Business Magazine.
HEERING liqueur is sold in more than 100 countries all over the world and is the essential ingredient in the world famous Singapore Sling and Blood and Sand cocktails. For more information about Peter F. Heering, please visit

PETER F. HEERING® 100TH SINGAPORE SLING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AT TOP 50 GLOBAL COCKTAIL INSTITUTION
March — 2016 (New York, New York) — Peter F. Heering, most famous for Cherry Heering Liqueur, purveyor to the Royal Danish Court, has been produced since 1818 Peter F. Heering has joined together with the spectacular Manhattan Bar, located in the Regent Hotel Four Seasons in Singapore, to continue 100th Anniversary celebrations of the Singapore Sling, the most classic Cherry Heering cocktail ever created.
The Manhattan Bar which derives inspiration from the first Golden Age of cocktails that reached its apogee in 1920s and 30s New York is now impressively realized in the mould of the archetypal New York grand hotel bar, which is Manhattan Bar – and is also now home to the Cherry Heering inspired cocktail – Family and Friends Barrel Sling.
Top finalists from the 2015 Peter F. Heering Sling Award® were invited to collaborate on a special Sling cocktail recipe which turned out to be Family and Friends Barrel Sling.
The Barrel Sling is aging specially in cask number 100, due to the 100th year Celebration of the Singapore Sling at the Manhattan Bar’s unique On-premise Rickhouse that prominently showcases an array of over 100 specially imported American oak casks.
“This is a once in a lifetime collaboration between an iconic brand, which is Peter F. Heering featuring Cherry Heering in a once in a lifetime cocktail recipe, Family and Friends Barrel Sling”, said Adéle Robberstad, CEO Peter F. Heering
By personal and private invitation only, famous brands and mixologist are selectively asked to create unique and inspired bespoke barrel cocktail recipes when visiting Manhattan Bar.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS BARREL SLING
• Cherry Heering Liqueur 20ml
• Tanqueray 10 30ml
• Diplomatico Blanco 20ml
• Koko Kanu 15ml
• Manzanilla sherry 15ml
• Orange Curacao 10ml
• Angostura Bitters 4 dashes

Page No. 2 – CHERRY HEERING® – Manhattan Bar | Singapore Sling
The Manhattan Bar ranks number 35 in “The World´s 50 Best Bars 2015” as anointed annually by Spirits legend, Dave Wondrich, an elite list which is presented annually in London.
Family and Friends Barrel Sling is being kept in the exclusive cellar of the Manhattan Bar and will be tapped as the Peter F. Heering brands turns 200 years 2018.
CHERRY HEERING® is an intricate and indispensable component of iconic cocktails such as The Singapore Sling and Blood & Sand, which is exactly how CHERRY HEERING® likes to be seen; as an accessory that adds lavishness, extravagance and civilization to the mix.
CHERRY HEERING® continues to evolve and recognize that even the timeless classics need a refreshing remake now and then, thus CHERRY HEERING® has challenged the best of the best behind the world’s bars to create their own modern classic interpretation of The Singapore Sling and also possibly writing their name in the history of cocktails.
HEERING® COFFEE liqueur is made from a recipe using only natural ingredients and with no additives or artificial coloring. The base is a smooth blend of Caribbean rum, coffee and cacao. COFFEE HEERING® and CHERRY HEERING® are both OU certified.
COFFEE HEERING® was announced as the Liqueur of the Year at the Annual Bar Biz Spirits Competition by the Editorial and Publishing Staff of the Bar Business Magazine.
HEERING® liqueur is sold in more than 100 countries all over the world and is the essential ingredient in the world famous Singapore Sling and Blood and Sand cocktails. For more information about Peter F. Heering, please visit

There are a few seats at the Center Bar that early in the evening, before it gets too dark, offer one of the best views of New York City. Those are at the southern end of the marble bar, several feet away from the baby grand piano. The bar is not on a high floor, and these particular stools do not showcase nearby Central Park or any other New York landmarks, for that matter.

What they do is give you indelible views of two skylines, the first made up of bottles of Absolut, Plymouth, Ketel One and Hendrick’s, of Balvenie, Highland Park and Hibiki, all artfully displayed on shelves behind the bar; behind those, clearly visible and perfectly framed, are the actual buildings of New York, those on Avenue of the Americas and Fifth Avenue, their tans and deep browns a mirror image of many of the bottles in front of them.

It’s a neat effect, one of many at this excellent new Time Warner Center bar from Michael Lomonaco, the executive chef at the Porter House restaurant down the hall.

In addition to spots at the bar, there are a half-dozen tables and a long, plush banquette in the dining area, all nestled into a fourth-floor perch that offers a memorable perspective on a vibrant scene.

Different seats offer different vistas, of course — of the Maine Monument in Central Park, the Central Park South straightaway, the endless caravan of yellow cabs in Columbus Circle, the posture-perfect Columbus himself (at what seems like eye-level, no less).

BIG APPLE’S BOOBS ARE BACK PRESSRELEASE
Speed Rack returns to NYC for year two in the search for America’s fastest female bartender while raising funds to find a cure
New York, NY, October 17, 2012 – Like the city’s mayor who liked his job so much he took it on two more times, New York City will become, on November 4th, a third time host for the nationally renowned all-female speed bartending charity competition, Speed Rack.
Speed Rack is the first nationwide competition designed to highlight up and coming women in the spirits industry, and build a stronger sense of community while giving back to those impacted by breast cancer. In that effort Speed Rack taps top female bartenders in key cocktail markets and puts them head to head in timed challenges that’s all about the speedy shaking of cocktails, all for the purpose of raising funds for breast cancer charities like SHARE (http://www.sharecancersupport.org) and other charities supporting breast cancer research. The 10-city 2012-2013 tour, which opened in Boston on October 3rd during the Boston Cocktail Summit, follows the success of last year’s Speed Rack competition, which raised over $69,000.
It’s a historical return to NYC on November 4th as Speed Rack was conceived of in this town so nice they named it twice. Prior to the upcoming competition NYC was the site of both the preview competition in June 2011 and the national finals in May 2012. Now it’s time for a second effort to find the fastest female bartender in New York’s tri-state area.
Using sponsors’ products* these participating local bartenders are required to make a round of cocktails, culled from a list of 50 accepted industry standard recipes, in front of a panel of judges. Judges will rate each drink based on prep time and accuracy. The judging panel includes spirit industry luminaries such as Dale DeGroff, Julie Reiner, Audrey Saunders, Simon Ford, and locally based hospitality leaders in each city.
Leading the charge are Speed Rack co-founders, Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix. Mix, in awe of the impact they’ve had thus far, says, “When this all started, I had NO IDEA it would turn into what it has become.” Marrero is equally excited about the competition’s growth. She remarks, “I am excited for year two. The level of competition is expected to be higher. I think we will see ladies really pushing the limits. Now that we are a year in people know what to expect. Returning ladies have had time to think about strategy. Girls are running training sessions in their home towns! A lot of the ladies who felt like they have something to prove are ready to come back this year and prove to themselves that they have what it takes. It’s exciting.”
After the excitement of the recent competition in Boston, which raised $4,537.00 and put Speed Rack that much closer to its 2012/2013 goal, it’ll be great to see how NYC shows (see competitors’ list below). Following New York it’s off to Tucson on November 18th and Tampa on December 3rd. In 2013 the tour will hit St Louis, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Chicago. At each event, attendees enjoy small bites from local restaurants as well as punches and cocktails from each one of our major sponsors.
While ALL of Speed Rack’s sponsors are special it is Remy Cointreau who has provided the ultimate prize for the young lady crowned Miss Speed Rack 2013 – an all inclusive trip for two to France to tour the beauty of the Anjou region and discover the essence of Cointreau production at the Remy Cointreau distillery, courtesy of the brand. In addition the founding Partners of BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource) are offering a scholarship to their 5 day program http://www.beveragealcoholresource.com/.
So that the winner from every city gets to New York for their shot at the crown and the France trip, Speed Rack’s returning sponsor, St Germain, is guaranteeing each of this year’s local winners a $500 honorarium to compete in the May 2013 finals in NYC.
Created by Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero of LUPEC NYC, the 10 city tour will be produced by Speed Rack Inc with event coordination by Claire Bertin-Lang of CBLLC. Videos will be produced by LeJit Productions.
Additional information can be found on the Speed Rack website www.speed-rack.com, on Facebook www.facebook/speedrackinfo and on twitter @speed-rack. To compete please contact ivy@speed-rack.com or lynnette@speed-rack.com.
Tickets for the New York event can be purchased online for $20 at http:// srnyc.eventbrite.com or for $25 at the door.
For a taste of last year’s antics, please check out last season’s videos at our partner
Small Screen Network :http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLswHKVkZEQq0HeWEHKx_9F1F0XTZu7H-1&feature=view_all

With the winter coming upon us, and the scarves and hats being taken out of the closet, Hg2 decided to recommend a few cocktails to go along with those winter clothes. We have scoured the world for the best drinks to warm you up on an icy winter evening.

Madame George Cocktail at the Rains Law Room, New York

Madame George- New York
Instead of the traditional rum of the tropical version of this drink, the Rains Law Room in New York has infused Irish Whiskey and Cherry Heering brandy with ginger, stewed dark cherries and lime for this hearty concoction. Ginger syrup and lime juice add a little tang, while the brandied cherry tops the drink creating the perfect zesty New York style take on the snowy season.

Roasted Chestnut Mint Julep- Amsterdam
Vesper Bar in Amsterdam has added a selection of winter specials to their menu in preparation for this year’s cold season. Among these is the roasted chestnut julep, which combines the seasonal tastes of fresh roasted chestnuts prepared in house, infused with bourbon, whiskey and mint, and finished with a dash of sugar. This sweet, hearty drink is sure to delight anyone in need of comfort after a stressful days work.

Mulled Wine- London
Winter in London is the season of mulled wine, and around October many of the bars and pubs begin to bring out their versions, each somewhat unique to them. Among Hg2’s favorites is the Cross Keys pub in Covent Garden, which combines fruits, cinnamon and a blend of sugar and other spices to create the perfect festive flavors. And why not have indulge in a mince pie to go along with it!

Hot Mojito- Moscow
The Baltshug Kempinski Hotel has prepared a selection of 5 hot cocktails for 650 rubles all of which a worth a try this winter. Braman Denis Petrov’s favorite however is the hot mojito which is sure to be a hit with all Muscovites. It is a blend of black tea leaves and cloves, both of which spice up the traditional dark rum, brown sugar and mint of a traditional mojito. This interesting twist allows you to still indulge in a typical favorite but retaining a wintery warmth.